I always have problems when it's time to put my money where my mouth is. Primarily becuase since I've started this blogging thing, I've got a lot more mouth than money. I'm in five pools this year, all with different selections so I can't just list my picks like normal people. But here, more for my own benefit than any educational value, are what my thoughts were at various times of the week:
National Champion: North Carolina (twice), Georgetown, Florida, or Ohio State
The Runner-Up: Kansas (twice), Florida, Ohio State, or Butler. Yes, I picked Butler to be UNC's final opponent in one bracket - the one where I compete against the other SBNation bloggers, no less.
Final Four(s): North Carolina (4 of 5) or Georgetown, Florida (3 of 5), Wisconsin or Butler, Ohio State (4 of 5) or Texas A&M, and Kansas (3 of 5), UCLA, or Virginia Tech.
East Regional Notes: I had Texas as a Sweet 16 team in every bracket, but never picked them to beat UNC, so screw you Rick Barnes. I also always took Boston College past Texas Tech, but never beating the Hoyas. I only once took Michigan State and Arkansas over Marquette and USC, but had no clue on that last pod, picking all four teams (and Vanderbilt twice) to be that fourth Sweet 16 team.
South Regional Notes: Ohio State vs. Texas A&M for the regional in all five brackets. Everything else is up in the air. Twice I have Creighton and Virginia as Sweet 16 teams. Memphis and Tennesse are there twice as well, and Albany and nevada make an appearance apiece. I was smart enough to always take Louisville over Stanford, but waffled over just about everything else.
Midwest Regional Notes: Wisconsin made it to my regional finals twice, Winthrop another two times, and Oregon once. Twice Georgia Tech knocked off the Badgers, the Ducks typically get knocked out by Winthrop (and once Notre Dame) and Butler beats out Maryland for a Sweet 16 bid in four out of the five brackets. Of course, twice Davidson upends Maryland and once ODU knocks of Butler, so I'm pretty schizophrenic about most of that region. The Gators are always playing in the second week, though, and Arizona beats Purdue four out of five times.
West Regional Notes: The regional finals are either Kansas-UCLA, Virginia Tech-UCLA, or for one fever dream of a bracket, Kansas-Duke. (Don't worry, that Elite Eight apppearance is outweighed by the two times I have them losing to VCU and the other two to UCLA. Having seen Pittsburgh play, I don't see them beating the Blue Devils.) I never picked Gonzaga and never picked Wright State, and i always had Kansas in the Sweet 16. It's that other pod I waffled on - Virginia Tech's in the 16 twice, as is Southern Illinois, and once I tossed in the Fighting Illini out of house loyalty.
So what does this tell you? Well, I've hedged my bets enough that I'll probably be universally wrong. Which means, of course, Kansas or UCLA for the whole shebang. Ugh.